Chemical phosphorylation improves the moisture resistance of soy flour‐based wood adhesive

A green‐chemistry approach to improve the moisture resistance of soy flour (SF)‐based wood adhesive is described. Chemical phosphorylation of SF (PSF), using POCl 3 as the phosphorylating agent, dramatically increased its wet bond strength. The optimum POCl 3 :SF ratio that produced maximum wet bond strength was about 0.15 (g g −1 ). The increase in wet bond strength of PSF (PSF0.15) was mostly due to the phosphate groups incorporated into the proteins and carbohydrates, and to a lesser degree to phosphorylation‐induced protein denaturation. The attached phosphate groups acted as cross‐linking agents, either via covalent esterification with hydroxyl groups on wood chips or via ionic and hydrogen‐bonding interactions with functional groups in wood chips. At hot‐press temperatures above 160°C the wet bond strength of PSF0.15 was >2.6 MPa, a level that might be acceptable for interior‐used hardwood plywood and particleboard. POCl 3 is a low cost, general‐purpose reagent and therefore PSF‐based adhesive is expected to be environmentally friendly.